Blue Jays: Why they may not strike in free agency for one more year

I expect the Blue Jays will look to improve the roster this off-season, but it may be another year before we see an “all-in” approach, and there are a few good reasons for that.

The Blue Jays have a few clear needs as they enter the off-season, including on their pitching staff, and likely at third base as well. I fully expect that Ross Atkins and company will address them, but after I looked more closely at the free agent options available, there aren’t a lot of obvious solutions to the possible holes on their roster.

That led me to looking at the potential free agents that could hit the market a year from now, and it’s got me thinking that the Blue Jays might wait a season before they truly bring out an aggressive approach.

I’ve written about how the biggest thing this young core needs is time and experience, and I truly believe that to be the case. The Jays are going to be a competitive team in 2021 even if they stand pat, and it’ll be an important season of development for guys like Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and more, who will hopefully get to finally experience a full MLB campaign. I also expect that the Blue Jays will try to re-sign Taijuan Walker, and failing that will likely look for a higher end solution for their rotation.

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However, the options that could be available during the winter of 2021-22 might actually give the front office a bit of pause when it comes to offering contracts that are more than a year or two long. That’s because the free agent class that year offers the kind of upgrades that could help push the Blue Jays from good to great, or from a fringe contender into a true post-season threat. Some of these guys could end up signing extensions with their current clubs, but here are some of the big name veterans who could be available a year from now:

SP: Noah Syndergaard, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Chris Archer

RP: Kenley Jansen, Brad Hand, Jeurys Familia, Corey Knebel, Archie Bradley, Raisel Iglesias, Roberto Osuna, Zack Britton (club option)

IF: Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Nolan Arenado (opt-out), Kris Bryant, Eduardo Escobar, Francisco Lindor, Javier Báez, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story

OF: Michael Conforto, Tommy Pham, Starling Marte, Kyle Schwarber

That’s obviously not an exhaustive list, but I’m sure you can see what I mean now after having a closer look.

Granted the starting pitchers will all be in the twilight of their careers, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to contribute at a high level. There are also a few elite options that could fill the third base spot for the Blue Jays, and if they’re legitimately serious about moving Bichette away from shortstop at any point, there are a handful of players who could make it worth considering.

Ideally the Blue Jays will be ready to pull out their wallet in free agency for at least the next few off-seasons, and that may very well end up being the case. However, if they’re also planning on throwing long-term extensions at some of their core players, or spending money in other ways, Ross Atkins and his staff might act with some restraint this off-season, especially if they have an eye on one or more of the stars that could be free agents a year from now.

Whatever ends up happening, it’s a lot more fun to have the Blue Jays in a position where they’re looking to add pieces rather than tear down and rebuild.